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When a Community Shares Its Stories with a Photographer

by Asa Featherstone, IV

Photo Credit: Asa Featherstone, IV
Between Us, Featherstone's photo series made during his artist residency, culminated in an exhibition at the McKinley Foundation featuring collaged instant film portraits, street scenes, and written excerpts from interviews.

Photographer Asa Featherstone, IV reflects on his instant film photo series—started as a way to meet people during an artist residency—and how it became a celebration of everyday stories.

Champaign-Urbana is a beautiful town that often flies under the radar unless you’re connected to the University of Illinois. As an artist based in Cincinnati, Ohio, I knew very little about it. That changed when I became an artist-in-residence at the local McKinley Foundation in January 2025.

Photo Credit: Asa Featherstone, IV
When possible, I followed community members across their routines—walking, talking, listening. I also visited schools and local organizations, leading workshops that provided storytelling tools residents could carry forward. (Pictured here is the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church. Church is a huge part of the story in Champaign-Urbana. Several church buildings surround the streets in the town, and this was one of the largest in the area.)

The residency was a month-long, open-ended practice designed to give artists time and space to explore the town and build new work for an exhibition.

I wanted to be intentional—making work that didn’t feel voyeuristic, but created for and with the community in mind. I saw space to highlight voices of Black and brown residents whose lives shape this place in quiet, vital ways.

As a photographer drawn to overlooked stories, I created Between Us, a photo-based project made up of instant film portraits and recorded interviews. Rather than chasing big moments, I was drawn to the everyday: neighbors chatting, artists working, people carving out space for one another. Instant film felt like the right format—warm, imperfect, and deeply human. I wanted it to feel real.

Because this wasn’t a community I was familiar with, building trust was important. Before arriving, I spent weeks calling residents, learning about their ties to the town. Once I got there, I spent time interviewing 15 residents from different walks of life.

Two conversations, in particular, stayed with me.

Huey Metropolis

Huey Metropolis is a multimedia artist originally from Chicago, Illinois, who draws heavily from basketball and street culture in his work. His artist name, “Metropolis,” is a nod to both comic books and love of music.

Photo Credit: Asa Featherstone, IV
“Finding the name was funny: I was sketching one day some years ago and listening to a lot of Janelle Monáe’s Metropolis album. I also loved how that was the same city where Superman was from, so the name came from a combination of the musicians and the people I looked up to,” said Huey Metropolis.
Photo Credit: Asa Featherstone, IV
Huey point of view felt fresh and essential to include in the series—not just his art, but how his environment shapes his creative expression. His voice felt unexpected in the best way.

We talked about his early relationship with art, what he hopes to accomplish, and how he ended up in Champaign-Urbana. He also spoke candidly about how his perception of the town has evolved over time.

“I’m not going to lie, this place felt kind of boring to me when I first moved here. It was one of the first times (coming from Chicago) that I really felt like I was a minority. My dad is an alum from this school, so I wanted to give it a chance,” he said.

“Over time, it grew on me. I learned that Champaign-Urbana is like a time capsule.” The artist explained: “The music, the styles—it doesn’t feel like 2025. Being a college town, it doesn’t feel real in a way. It isn’t as fast-paced as a larger city and somewhat removed from reality…

In all honesty, that’s changed me for the better. Being in the city, I was always moving on to the next thing, trying to progress as an artist and getting ahead of myself, but being here has forced me to slow down and enjoy each moment.”

Shannon McFarland

Later that week, I walked through McFarland Field with Shannon McFarland, a local leader focused on youth empowerment through sports, media, and education. The newly renovated park is named after her family, honoring their long-standing contributions to the town.

Photo Credit: Asa Featherstone, IV
Shannon McFarland’s father helped start one of the first little league baseball teams and played a major role at the local television station. Her mother founded an organization dedicated to empowering young women. “This is a slow life, but I can build here,” she told me. “This park is living proof of that. When we started out here, it was unkept and our team was out here picking up broken glass every Saturday morning, but over time it’s developed into something the town can be proud of.”
Photo Credit: Asa Featherstone, IV
Her words about legacy stuck with me: “Our family has done a lot for this town, and I don’t take that for granted. Even if I don’t know someone, there’s a good chance they know my family because of the work we’ve done collectively. That’s given us more leverage to make an even greater impact.”

Shannon’s perspective stood out to me because her work is independent of the university, yet she’s actively shaping the town’s future through her focus on youth.

Her vision for the town is grounded in equity and growth. She runs youth programs that combine recreational sports with STEM and tech workshops in collaboration with local libraries and community centers.

“There’s still a ton of inequality… but there’s time. I just want there to be space—for change, even if not everyone understands it,” she said.

These stories—along with many others from the residency—culminated in a final exhibition wall: a collage of photographs and excerpts from interviews. The resulting portrait of Champaign-Urbana honored its nuance, inviting residents, both inside and outside the university bubble, to see their home through one another’s eyes.